Luminescence behavior of Tb3+ ions in transparent glass and glass-ceramics containing CaF2 nanocrystals

Transparent glass-ceramics have been fabricated by heat treatment with 1.0 mol% Tb2O3-doped 45SiO2-20Al2O3-10CaO-25CaF2 aluminosilicate glass. The precipitated crystalline phase in the glass-ceramics is CaF2 nanocrystals with a size of 15-27 nm and dispersed in the amorphous phase. Both photo- and radioluminescence measurements show that the increase of Tb3+ 545 nm line intensity by a factor of 4 and 3.5 is obtained in glass-ceramics with respect to the as-made glass, respectively.